Hey y’all, I’m looking for advice on how to be more confident in a ‘sales’ position. I’m about ready to launch my own digital marketing agency, but I struggle to bring it up to people I meet (business owners) who would likely be interested.
I’m worried about coming off as having an ulterior motive or sounding pushy, even though I’m not a pushy person at all. I’m great at relating to people and having casual conversation, but I usually end up defaulting to talking about my main job (chef) just because it seems it’s easier to find common ground with that, and locals know the restaurant I work at.
I know I’m gonna have to start talking about my business if I want to gain any clients. Any tips?
1 comment
Just from my sales experience and from working with salespeople, most of the conversations I have with customers/clients isn’t actually about business. It’s getting to know people and creating connections so you’re the person they think of when they do need your type of service. Sometimes it’s just a waiting game for the right moment to arise when they will need you, but you always want to keep that connection going. Never, ever rule anyone out – a year can go by without them ever needing you, but you still want that connection/relationship with them.
Overall though, you can bring up your business without trying to seem like you’re ‘selling’ it to other people. If someone asks you how your week is going, feel free to say you’re keeping busy between the restaurant and your digital marketing business. That’s not ‘selling’ them, but making them aware it exists. As time goes on, it’ll become much easier to bring it up. Don’t worry about being pushy about it, you’re already aware of how you *don’t* want to sound, so I’m confident you won’t come across that way. 🙂